Pin connectors provide for data transfer between devices in technologies such as computer peripheral devices, data processing, and telecommunication equipment. These diverse applications require pin connectors to incorporate parameters in reference to the particular application. Such parameters include bit width, transmission speeds, dimension of associated devices, and other mechanical features that enable the pin connector to serve its particular function.
In some particular systems, pin connectors may comprise sub-components on systems transferring more complex and diverse data, including Local Area Networks (LANS) and Shared Resource Computing systems that utilize Gigabit Link Modules (GLM) for interfacing optical data with computer host system. GLMs receive serial data from optical devices and deserialize the data with circuits contained on a PCB. The pin connector mates with and transfers deserialized data to an opposing connector attached to a host computer. Data transfer devices such as GLM's exemplify instances where pin connectors are preferably mounted directly to a printed circuit board (PCB) to conserve space and reduce conductive transmission length. The structure of the connector may also be defined in part by the polarizing structure employed with the connector. For GLMs, the connector may be a 9 pin D-SUB connector known in the art that accesses the PCB to an associated mating connector employing the same polarizing structure. In the context of a GLM, the 9 pin connector may connect and transmit bit data to the host computer from a PCB that deserializes data inputted from an optical serial data sub-component. While the following disclosure specifically references a 9 pin connector for GLMs, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the shortcomings of the prior art discussed herein are equally applicable to a pin connector in general, and more specifically to pin connectors that mounts directly to any PCB or similar structure.
In general, current generation pin connectors employ designs that are inefficient to manufacture and assemble. Typically, pin connectors known in the art employ an insulator inserted within a housing that retains contacts to electrically contact the associated PCB. The contacts are accessible through a front face of the insulator such that an associated connector may mate thereto and electrically interconnect with the PCB. The insulators may include male contacts that extend as pins from the front end of the insulator to be received by female contacts of an associated connector mated thereto. Likewise, female contacts may alternatively be employed within the insulator to provide single or double wiped apertures that receive male contacts from the associated male connector.
With connectors in general, and D-SUB connectors in particular, the general construction employs a multi-piece insulator and housing. The insulator is assembled prior to insertion into the housing and may require fastening means to separately secure the insulator pieces together. Similarly the housing typically comprises two or more pieces, such as a face plate and a mounting structure, that are also separately secured together through mechanical fasteners. Once the insulator and housing are individually assembled, additional fastening means are necessary to secure the insulator and housing together. Once assembled, the pin connector as a whole may be attached to the PCB through fasteners and fastening means known in the art. As a result of the multi-piece construction of the insulator and the housing, several steps are required to assemble a connector for any particular application. In the context of GLMs, the assembly of the known D-SUB connectors with the PCB in the aforementioned manner adds substantial cost and labor expense to the overall module. It is therefore desirable to reduce the number of steps required to assemble a pin connector for any particular application, including applications employing the pin connector in engagement with the PCB of a GLM.
The aforementioned pin connectors, including D-SUB connectors for use with GLM devices, have several other shortcomings as well. The prior art D-SUB connectors may include an intermediate PCB slot that engages the PCB edgewise. In such instances, the particular position and orientation of the insulator is significant in assembling the pin connector to the PCB, as the contacts extending from the insulator must contact specific contact points on the PCB. However, the prior art connectors lack inherent features that would otherwise prevent common assembly errors such as attaching the connector with the PCB upside down, or with the contacts mis-aligned to the corresponding contact point on the PCB.
Furthermore, known pin connectors require an inefficient multi-step process for loading contacts into the insulator. Under the prior art, female contacts must be front-loaded tail first into a back portion of the insulator, with a tulip portion of the contacts extending freely from the front end of the back portion. The back portion of the insulator must then be back-loaded with a front portion of the insulator, such that the tulip portions are loaded through the back end of the front portion comprising the insulator. In addition, prior art insulators lacked a sufficient degree of precision molding to securely retain the female contacts in easily removeable fashion. As such, inserting the contacts individually into the insulator is a tedious process requiring several steps.
Moreover, the D-SUB connectors of the known art utilize inefficient and clumsy fastening means for securing the insulator within the housing. For instance, the insulator may incorporate molded plastic protrusions that must align and engage receivers of the housing to secure the insulator thereto. The housing may also include metal protrusions that align and engage ridges or other receivers of the insulator. For mass production, aligning the respective protrusions and receivers of the insulators and housings is very time consuming and laborious.
With these limitations in mind, it is an object of the invention to provide a two piece pin connector, including a unitary insulator and housing, that may be easily assembled and employed.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a pin connector that allows the contacts to be inserted into the insulator in one step, and allows for the insulator with contacts contained therein to be inserted into the housing in another step.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a housing and insulator that receive a PCB at an intermediate PCB slot, and share a set of fasteners that secure the housing, insulator, and PCB to one another.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a unitary housing including alignment ribs that frictionally retain the insulator inserted therein.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an insulator with contact holes that are precision molded and shaped to easily receives and frictionally retain contacts inserted therein.
And still another object of the invention is to provide an insulator that is shaped to be frictionally secured within a corresponding housing.